audio by year 1998

Human traits, especially involving behavior, are likely to have a complex genetic basis incorporating many genetic and environmental influences. Learn about the field of behavioral genetics and explore whether you carry some of your fate in your genes.

Peoples all over the world have developed origin stories to explain why we're here, who we are, and where we're going. Now, genetic researchers are beginning to write their own account of our origins, through the study of DNA. This program tells us how DNA may have come into existence and how genetic studies have contributed to evolution theories so far. And it explores the controversies raised by genetic research.

Gene therapy holds the prospect of great hope as well as the danger of the unknown, as researchers, scholars, doctors, and patients weigh the benefits and the risks of a medical treatment that's still in its infancy.

We've heard a lot about DNA forensics in the news — the process of testing DNA, finding DNA matches, and creating DNA profiles of individuals makes for great headlines. But what exactly is DNA forensics, and how does it work?

This program is all about control: the control of genetic research, the control of our own genes, and the control of the very personal information those genes contain. The answers aren't clear-cut, and, many would argue, the ethics surrounding the issues are sometimes blurred as well.

This program offers an overview of predictive genetic testing. You'll learn which diseases it currently targets, the testing techniques, the reliability of those tests, and, most important of all, what is achievable once the results are obtained.

Sequencing the human genome has brought us unprecedented knowledge and controversy. Explore the issues involved in sequencing the human genome in this roundtable discussion with the researchers involved in the Human Genome Project.